And now: Subwoofers.
I have received two subs to thouroughly test at home. SVS PB-1000 Pro and Rel T/7x. Both add exactly the depth and oomph that I was missing. As some may know I´m running the R-800i (805) with Klipsch Cornwalls IV, which are really good speakers but in spite of their size lack a bit in the bottom end. For a while I´ve been using an equalizer that helped to push some lower frequencies. To me the sound improved tremendously with it, the stage getting so much more spacious. But below 40Hz there really isn´t much happening with the Cornwalls. This is where the subs come in: To make a long story short, I guess I won´t need the equalizer anymore. It not only does what the EQ did before, it also adds an extra level of depth that just wasn´t there before. Sub bass, organ sounds etc greatly benefit from it. The same with voices: I put on last year´s record from Bastarda & Sutari (kind of a modern interpretation of eastern european folk music) and wow, did the voices in the opener „Ty pójdziesz górą“ glow and get that presence that make you believe you´re in the same room. Stunning, really.
Out of the box the Rel left a better impression: Better built quality, better design, nice and practical details like a perfectly prepared connection cable justify the higher price. It played also smoother, more gentlemanly and more musically than the SVS. I found that with the plenty adjustments to the sound the SVS lets you make you can get very close to that. All in all it´s a bit more muscular but I´m not against that. What really bugged me about the Rel was the design with the company logo printed and etched all over it, three times on the front alone. Together with the piano varnish it made it even appear a bit tacky. So the SVS stays. The R-800i, the Cornwalls and the PB-1000 Pro are great partners I think.
I can´t wait to listen to some music with the added bass extension.